dry-suit diving

Question
Greetings Mr. Scott, My wife and I are moderately experienced divers with about 100 logged dives each. WE are dry-suit certified, but have hardly used them. WE would like to go to " dry-suit camp or on a dry-suit trip perhaps,with an instructor and therefore become much more comfortable with them. Any suggestions? Whit and Diana

Answer
Hello Whit and Diana.  Great question.  I faced a similar problem long ago.  I took a dry suit class but then it was several months later before I bought my suit so I had little skill built up.  Two general recommendations come to mind:  if you can handle the cost, purchase your own suit and accessories.  Second, dive it as much as you can in as many scenarios as possible.  I dive mine even in the summer time off the coast of North Carolina.

Here are some recommendations:
- Review your Dry Suit Specialty book if you have one (or consider getting one)
- Find a dry suit instructor and ask for a refresher.  You could do this in a pool or confined water if you are really rusty.  Otherwise you could try your local dive spot.  I would seek easy conditions so that you can maximize your focus on buoyancy.
- Be sure to be properly weighted as not enough will prevent you from adding enough air to stay warm and achieve proper buoyancy.  Since you have not dove dry much this may take some time to figure out.  You need just need water over your head to do this or a pool.
- Don't mix BC and dry suit buoyancy control.  BC on the surface. Dry suit only underneath.
- Practice buoyancy control at depth.  Spend time motionless with various body attitudes to determine what is right for you.  Spend lot's to time on this.  You want to find that perfect combination of buoyancy and warmth where the suit does not compress against you skin.
- Next work on ascents.  Recall you need to be in a vertical position to be able to use your shoulder dump valve.  You could start by using a buoy line if available to ensure you don't get into runaway ascents.   You should be able to ascend at normal speed and use the should dump (by raising your arm) comfortably.
- You will also want to practice your 'feet up' drills.  This is the scenario where you allow too much air to rise toward your feet and get you upside down and possibly in a runaway ascent.  This involves forcefully bending and flipping you feet back below you quickly.

I think that a couple of dives with an instructor would be helpful.  Then I would plan on 5 or 10 more on your own with a focus on dry suit skills.  Be prepared for at least 20 or 30 before you get that feeling of truly having it mastered.  It really does take some practice.

Good luck and have fun!